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Thursday, May 15, 2014

I've been staring at the computer for hours working on a book, and I'm quite shocked that I haven't developed a headache from the artificial glow of the screen. But had I developed such a thing, I would have plenty of Excedrin on hand.Here's the deal:Buy $20.00 in various pain relievers (including Excedrin) and receive $10.00 ExtraBucks.I bought two 24ct. Excedrin Extra Strength and one 100ct. Excedrin MigraineSo, that's:1 24ct. Excedrin Extra Strength, $4.99 - $2.00/1 Excedrin product = $3.991 24ct. Excedrin Extra Strength, $4.99 - $2.00/1 Excedrin product = $3.991 100ct. Excedrin Migraine, $11.99 - $2.50/1 Excedrin product, 100ct or more = $9.49My total before coupons was $21.97, meeting the $20.00 necessary to get the ExtraBucks. After coupons, my total was brought down to $15.47Because CVS honors their "Magic Coupon Machine" coupons up to two weeks after they've expired, I was also able to use a $4.00/$20.00 in pain relievers coupon, bringing my total down to $11.47. Since I had $10.00 ExtraBucks from a previous trip, it brought my total to just $1.47! Plus, I got $10.00 ExtraBucks for my next trip! Even if you didn't have ExtraBucks to spend, it's still like getting three boxes of pain reliever for just $1.47 since CVS is (essentially) trading you $10.00 for your $11.47.Also on sale this week is Speed Stick Gear deodorant. It's just $3.99 and you'll receive $1.00 ExtraBucks when you buy one (Limit 1). The store was entirely out of stock, so I got a raincheck. The cashier was kind enough to staple my coupons to the raincheck. This way, even if the coupons expired, they would still be honored! That's a first! I had a $2.00/1 Speed Stick Gear deodorant manufacturer coupon and a $2.00/1 Speed Stick Gear deodorant CVS coupon. That's a $1.01 moneymaker! They get restocked Thursdays, so I'm hoping to swing by tomorrow to pick up my freebie.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ladies. If you have not been to Ulta, do not wait on the sidelines like I have for months. Ulta moved into town several months ago, and I never thought to venture in. I got beauty products at CVS, Rite Aid and Clinique... there's no need for a beauty-only store in my life that was likely to be far more expensive... right?WRONG! Oh, so very wrong.Check this out. So I went to Ulta for their BOGO50% on CoverGirl sale. I have a thing for lipsticks (can never have enough). So rather than spend less and purchase eye shadows I'll never use, I decided to spend a little more to get what I actually wanted.

My first purchase at Ulta!

So I purchased two Lipperfection Jumbo Gloss Balms at $8.99 each, one Lip Perfecting Lipstick at $6.99 and a full-sized Classiccolor Blush at $6.99. Since it was BOGO50% off, it brought my total down to $23.97. I was also able to use manufacturer coupons (who knew!). I had $2.00/2 lip products, $1.00/1 CoverGirl product and another $1.00/1 CoverGirl product. Now my total was down to $19.97. Or should have been... I realized well after I got home that she rang up my $2.00/2 coupon as a $1.00/2 coupon. Lesson: Watch as they ring them in. Similar to the Dollar Tree, they do not scan the coupons, but punch the dollar off amount in manually.So in reality, my total was $20.96 making each product $5.24. Surely, you can come up with combinations of products that would reduce the total much more (several $4.99 eye shadows at BOGO50%, plus $1.00/1 coupons for instance), but I was in need of some very particular products. I then handed her the email/promotion for the free makeup bag. Be SURE to bring in a print out of the promotion as it will not prompt the cashier that you've qualified for the free item. Free item in hand, she then asked if I'd like to sign up for their rewards program. Um, heck yes! It's just like any other grocery store rewards card, except you rack up points in exchange for dollars off product. You get your choice of three different cards (I chose SMOOCH because, after all, I did just buy three lip products). You can track your points online at ulta.com/rewards, and they are good for a year. Unless of course you go Platinum (spend over $400). You'll earn points 25% faster, receive an additional birthday gift and your points will never expire.They enter in your information very quickly and lastly ask for the month and day of your birth. "You'll receive a free, full-sized signature Calvin Klein mascara for your birthday as our gift to you valued at $18.00," she said. Wahoo!! More freebies! And mine will arrive next month :) Plus, during your birthday month, you'll earn double points (two points for every dollar as opposed to one point for every dollar). I paid, and out popped a $5.00/$15.00 store coupon (which can be combined with manufacturer coupons, ladies!), and I left a happy woman.

Free items in the makeup bag.

I got home, opened up my free gift and was delighted to see a full-sized CoverGirl BOMBSHELL Volume mascara, full-sized (0.5oz) Olay Hydrating Gel Moisturizer and two sample packets of Olay products.Oh, did you also know they have a salon? Yeah. You'll get a 20% off any service at the salon, too, when you sign up for their rewards program. The deals just kept on coming!So GO! Check out the store for yourself. There's plenty of free gifts available. Don't ignore that circular in the paper anymore. It's a gold mine!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Buy any three items (including sale items and gift sets) at Bath and Body Works today and get three additional items for free! Mix and match soaps, lotions, candles and more. You could save up to $135.00! Spend $25.00 and use code HAPPYSHIP to drop the $5.99 flat rate shipping price to just $1.00. Or, spend $40 and use code SPRINGVIP to get a tote filled with items for just $20 (a $113.50 value!) Note: This is not valid with the B3G3 offer. Stock up, ladies!Here's a deal idea:Select hand soaps are on sale for $3.00 each (regularly $5.50). I added 18 hand soaps to my cart which came to only $27.00 because nine of them were free! Use the code HAPPYSHIP and my total, with shipping, comes to only $28.00 (regularly $99.00 plus $5.99 shipping). That may seem excessive, but hold on to them for birthday gifts and more!

You read that right! Spend just $15.00 on CoverGril or Olay products at Ulta and receive a free cosmetic bag containing CoverGirl Bombshell mascara, Olay Fresh Effects Moisturizer, Olay Regenerist Moisturizer (sachet) and Olay CC Cream Moisturizer (sachet)!!To make the deal EVEN sweeter, CoverGirl products are Buy One Get One 50% off and Olay products are 15% off.It gets better: they accept manufacturer's coupons! Slap those together with in-store coupons and you could end up with a bag full of free pamper-me-please products.Discover more ways to save at Ulta by reading the KrazyCouponLady's How to Save at Ulta post.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

This weekend only you can receive 12 Thank You Cards, a set of Address Labels or one Magnet for free! Just use code GOODPICKS at checkout. You'll just pay shipping and handling. I chose a set of four 2x2 magnets for our fridge. (You can never have enough!) They are regularly $14.99, on sale this week for $7.50, but I got them for free! Check it out:

In January 2013 there was a sale on Clean & Clear Facial Wash. If you bought three at the sale price ($4.79), you'd receive $10.00 ExtraBucks. We were living in Hudson at the time (that's how far back this goes!), and my local CVS was out of the product. So I asked for a raincheck. That raincheck has been sitting in my accordion fold coupon holder for nearly a year and a half.

But it emerged today!

I realized this afternoon that I had a $2.00 ExtraBucks that was about to expire. Though I didn't have a concrete plan before going to the store (which totally breaks my number one rule), I had been meaning to cash in on that Clean & Clear raincheck because I had recently printed out two coupons for $1.00/1 any Clean & Clear product.

When I got into the store, I went straight for the Magic Coupon Machine. Out spit a dozen or so coupons, but one struck me: $4.00 off a $15.00 purchase of facial cleanser, moisturizer or acne product. Hmmm...

I wander over to the facial cleanser aisle and THERE! Bottles of BONUS Clean & Clear facial cleansers (each cleanser comes with a bonus moisturizer). I snagged three (one even had a $1.00/1 coupon stuck to it, so look for peelies!) and went for the register. I handed the cashier my raincheck which brought the product price from $7.29 to $4.79 each (a $2.50 savings). I then had him scan my three $1.00/1 coupons and asked if I could also use the $4.00/$15.00 store coupon. While my product didn't add up to $15.00 or more (it was at $14.37), it still went through! Combine that with my $2.00 ExtraBucks, and my total came to only $5.37 (a $21.87 value). PLUS, I got $10.00 ExtraBucks making this a $4.63 MONEY MAKER!

So. Don't ever throw out a raincheck. Better yet - don't forget to ask for a raincheck if the product you're looking for is out of stock. It may take a few extra minutes, but it's worth it. And in my case, it helped me snag an even better deal over a year later!